'Forever HCC'
“This is no small feat. You worked hard for this. You deserve all the applause, the cheers, the embarrassments, the shout-outs. All of it. You deserve it all.” – Sharale Mathis, vice president of academic and student affairs
In what has quickly become a new annual tradition, Holyoke Community College celebrated its fall semester graduates with a special recognition ceremony on Monday, Dec. 2.
HCC initiated the fall ceremony in 2023 to engage graduates who complete their degrees and certificates in December, at the end of the fall semester.
“We have a saying in our house: You finish what you start,” said President George Timmons, turning to the students on the stage of the Leslie Phillips Theater. “And you have finished what you started.”
“This is really just the beginning of your celebrations as a college student,” he continued. “Today, we honor you because what you have just achieved deserves immediate recognition. At Commencement, on May 31, at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, we will come together again and formally welcome you as HCC alumni.”
According to the HCC Registrar’s Office, 198 HCC students qualified as fall 2024 semester graduates, completing their academic requirements to earn either an associate degree or certificate. Many of them will transfer to four-year schools for the start of the spring 2025 semester.
“This is no small feat,” said Sharale Mathis, vice president of academic and student affairs. “You worked hard for this. You deserve all the applause, the cheers, the embarrassments, the shout-outs. All of it. You deserve it all.”
Two graduating students were invited to address their classmates. Both talked about their initial struggles in college and finding support and success at HCC.
Alexandia Casavant, a liberal arts major from Northampton, started college at a four-year art school in New York, but was discouraged by racial inequality, a lack of support, and neglect for student safety.
“Once I started attending HCC, I saw the difference almost instantly,” said Casavant, who is transferring to the University of Massachusetts Amherst to study music. “The staff was very kind to me and cared about what I had to say. I joined the Student Senate. I could have never imagined myself doing that in high school, but, here, I felt like I could do anything, and I felt like I had the space to challenge myself.”
Hilario "Juji" Peralta, a visual art major from Holyoke, enrolled at HCC in 2019, right after high school, He described his educational journey as a rollercoaster ride.
“Being so young and having so much time on my own hands, it got a little overwhelming,” he said. “During my first semester, I struggled academically and really wasn’t sure of where I wanted to go or what I wanted to be.”
He took two years off during the pandemic and came back determined to finish. With the help of advisers from HCC’s ALANA Men in Motion program (for students of color) and El Centro (for Hispanic and Latino students), he did.
“My experience here at HCC has been nothing but good memories and connections,” he said. “If there’s anything I would say about HCC and the people here, it is that it always gave me a sense of familiarity. I felt seen, heard, and understood. HCC has given me so many opportunities to explore my interests and develop my passions. It has empowered me to envision and take control of my future and believe in my skills and abilities.”
About 70 fall graduates sat on the stage for the ceremony, with the theater seats filled with faculty, staff, family members, and friends. Each of the students who attended was recognized individually and walked across the stage to shake hands with President Timmons, who placed an orange sash around their necks symbolizing their status as fall graduates.
“I know for many of you, this is just the beginning, whether it’s that first step into a new job, whether you’re transferring, whether you’re coming back – some do come back for another degree, and some come back to work as well,” Mathis said. “So, whatever the next chapter of your life is, I want you to know that we’re not going anywhere. We will be here. Once you walk through the doors of HCC, you are forever HCC. We were here for you from the beginning, we’re here for you on this next step, and we’ll be here whenever you need us.”
PHOTO: President George Timmons, center, with student speakers Alexandria Casavant, left, and Hilario "Juji" Peralta, right, at HCC's reception for fall graduates on Monday, Dec. 2.
